Dishwashing machine and refuse disposal and method



DISHWASHING MACHINE AND REFUSE DISPOSAL AND METHOD Filed Sept. 14, 19642 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 20, 1966 c. R. SOUTHARD 3,273,573

Sept. 20, 1966 c. R. SOUTHARD DISHWASHING MACHINE AND REFUSE DISPOSALAND METHOD Filed Sept. 14, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent()1 3,273,573 DISHWASIIING MACHINE AND REFUSE DISPOSAL AND METHODCreston R. Southard, Winston-Salem, N.C., assignor to Champion DishWashing Machine Company, Winston- Salem, N.C., a corporation of NorthCarolina Filed Sept. 14, 1964, Ser. No. 396,319 7 Claims. (Cl. 134-104)This invention relates to dish washing machines and more particularly toan automatic dish washing apparatus incorporating a dish rack advancingconveyer and a refuse disposal conveyer.

Commercial dish washing machines utilize various types of dish rackconveying systems for advancing dish racks through various stages forprewashing, washing and rinsing dishes supported in the dish rack with afinal rinsing stage. Suitably positioned nozzles spray dishes supportedin the dish racks as the racks are advanced continuously through thepre-wash cycle for removal of food particles or refuse and washing themgenerally into the base or lower compartment of the cabinet for removalafter a period of time. Suitable strainers or filters may be utilized toseparate the refuse from the water and periodic cleansing of thecompartment is required to remove the accumulated refuse when theapparatus is shut down.

Therefore, it is an objective of this invention to provide a dishwashing apparatus in which dishes stacked in dish racks may be advancedcontinuously through a spray or prewashing chamber to dislodge foodparticles and other refuse while collecting and removing the refuse anddisposing of it to a remote location while washing dishes continuously.

Another objective of this invention is to provide a dish washingapparatus in which dish racks containing dishes may be conveyedcontinuously through a prewashing stage for removal of refuse andcollecting and conveying the refuse to a remote location while water issprayed continuously without interruption of the washing of dishes andconveying refuse to a remote location.

Still another objective of this invention is to provide a refuseconveyer for collecting refuse removed from dishes passed along aconveyer while the conveyer is actuated by movement of the dish rackconveying member for discharging refuse thereon into a receptaclelocated outside of the dish washing machine.

A further objective of this invention is to provide a refuse conveyerfor a dish washing apparatus to collect, convey and discharge refusefrom the apparatus in one direction while conveying dishes to be cleanedin an opposite direction without interrupting the continuous advance ofthe dish racks.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this inventionwill become more readily apparent to those skilled in this art from thefollowing detailed description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings in which like characters of reference designatecorrespond- I ing parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

'FIG. 1 is a partial side elevational view of a portion of a dishwashing apparatus embodying the invention illustrating only the pre-washsection of a cabinet with intermediate and upper portions removed;

FIG. 2 is a partial end elevational view of the dish washing apparatusof FIG; 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial top plan view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial side elevational view, with anintermediate portion removed, illustrating the refuse conveyer; and

FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of the refuse conveyer.

Referring to the drawings and particularly to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, there isillustrated only the pre-wash stage of a 3,273,573 Patented Sept. 20,1966 ice are presented through the rack receiving opening 15 to bereceived and supported on laterally spaced apart racksupporting rails 16that are mounted by suitable brackets to the side walls 12 and extendhorizontally through the cabinet to support and guide theracks into eachof the dish washing stages. A reciprocating conveyer pawl bar 17 ismounted between the rails 16 to advance dish racks supported on therails 16 through the cabinet continuously by intermittent movement asthe bar 17 is longitudinally reciprocated by means of pawl barreciprocating mechanism consisting of a crank arm 18 to which is mounteda roller 19 that travels within the socket 20 mounted beneath the pawlbar 17 at a convenient location. The arm 18 is revolved by the shaft 21driven by means of the gear reducer 22 which in turn is driven by motor23 through the pulley and belt connection 24. A suitable slipclutchmember 25 is positioned at the upper end of shaft 21 fol connection withthe stub shaft 26 which in turn is actually connected to the arm 18. Thepawl bar 17 is mounted it suitable bearing guide members (not shown) andsupports a series of spaced apart aligned pawls 27 each of which ispivotally mounted on the pawl bar 17 and suitably counterweightedpermitting the individual pawls to pivot in a clockwise direction topresent the vertical portion 28 as a lug or shoulder against a rack tobe advanced through the cabinet as the pawl bar is moved to the left inFIG. 1, from the entrance opening 15 through the spray section 29 of thecabinet into the other stages of the cabinet forward of the prewashingstage.

A series of laterally spaced-apart headers 30 supplied with water underpressure project horizontally in the direction of rack travel forspraying water under the traveling dish racks through the nozzles 31that are spaced from each other along each of the headers 30. Anadditional series of headers 32 supplied] with water under pressure havespaced-apart nozzles 33 that project streams of water downwardly againstthe dirty dishes stacked in the traveling racks passing along the rails16 during recipported in the cabinet between and below rack-supportingrails 16.

The top and bottom flights 36 and 37 of the belt conveyer 35 havesupported thereon a series of longitudinally spaced-aparttransversely-extending belt conveying mem bers 38. One conveyer beltroller 39 is bearingly supported in the plate 40 that is mounted at oneend to the vertical wall 41 and at the other end to the front wall 11.The other belt supporting roller 42 is bear ingly supported and slidablyadjustable in the side plates 40 to exert a suitable tension on theendless conveyer belt. The discharge end 43 of the conveyer 35 extendsout beyond the front wall 11 through the refuse discharge opening 44directly above the refuse container housing 45 that is fastened to thefront wall 11. The base 46 of the housing 45 is provided with a drainplug 47. A perforated refuse collecting receptacle 47 is supported onthe sl-idable receptacle-receiving tray 48 and retained on the trayguide rails 49 that are secured to the interior of the housing 45.

A refuse container guard 50 is pivotally hinged through the hinge 51that is mounted above the refuse conveyor opening 44 to prevent dishesfrom being dropped into the receptacle 47 and to serve as a guard overthe discharge end of the conveyor 35. A suitable guide 52 for the upperflight 36 of the conveyor is provided in order to facilitate travelingof the conveyor in the event of increased refuse load to which the upperflight may be subjected as the upper flight moves toward the refusedischarge opening 44.

Movement of the conveyor 35 occurs through the downwardly extendingdepending shoe 53 that is pivotally mounted to the reciprocating pawlbar 17 through the connecting link 54. The lower end of the shoe 53 isprovided with a lug-engaging member 55 that contacts each of theconveyor mounted angle brackets 38 upon each rearward movement of thepawl bar 17 to move the upper flight 36 of the conveyor 35 toward thedischarge opening 44. Forward or movement in the direction of the flowof dish racks to the left in FIG. 1, to advance the dish racks, willpermit the shoe 53 and member 55 to pass over an angle member 38 andupon rearward movement of the pawl bar 17, the member 55 will engage amember 38 and force it in the same rearward movement as the pawl bar 17.

During operation, dirty dishes placed in dish racks, the bottoms ofwhich are usually perforated, will be advanced along the rails 16 bymeans of the pawls 28 that engage the racks in their forward movementwhile the pawls 28 are pivoted counterclockwise as the pawl bar is movedrearwardly at which time the shoe 53 urges the conveyor belt rearwardly.Streams of water impinge and spray particles of food and wash them fromthe dishes through the racks and the water with the food particles andrefuse flow downwardly onto the top flight 36 of the conveyer 35. Theintermittent travel of the conveyer belt will ultimately discharge therefuse from the discharge end of the conveyer through the opening 44 inthe front Wall depositing the refuse into the receptacle 47. Thereceptacle 47 is slidably removable from the front of the cabinet asshown in FIG. 2.

Obviously, many modifications and variations may be made to theorientation of the conveyer and the specific linkage member foradvancing the conveyer for the refuse without departing from the purposeand spirit of this invention and such modifications are contemplatedwithin the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a dish washing machine and refuse disposal apparatus for receivingand conveying dish racks having dishes stacked therein along a directedpath of travel through a spray cabinet in which spray nozzles directstreams of water on the dishes comprising a dish rackreceiving cabinethaving a front wall and side walls, said front wall having a dishrack-receiving opening and a refuse conveyer opening therebeneath, dishrack-supporting rails mounted adjacent to the side walls for receivingand supporting a dish rack through the front wall opening, alongitudinally extending dish rack-advancing member reciprocably mountedin said cabinet between said rails, said member having a plurality oflongitudinally spacedapart dish rack-engaging pawls thereon, each ofsaid pawls having a forward rack engaging portion and a downwardlyextending rear surface, said rack engaging portion reaching above saidrails, means for reciprocating said dish rack-advancing member toadvance dish racks intermittently through the spray cabinet on a forwardrack advancing stroke of said member, an endless reticulated conveyerbelt having a plurality of spaced-apart lugs thereon mounted in saidcabinet beneath said rack-advancing member to receive refuse dislodgedfrom dishes supported in the dish racks and extending through saidrefuse conveyer opening, means for driving said conveyer comprising apivotally depending drive shoe extending from said longitudinallyextending dish rack advancing member for engaging said conveyer lugswherebyupon the return stroke from the advance stroke of said longitudinal member a conveyer lug will be engaged by said shoe to displacethe conveyer belt rearwardly toward the refuse conveyer opening, and areceptacle for receiving refuse discharged on said conveyer belt mountedbeneath the discharge end of the conveyor.

2. In a dish washing machine and refuse disposal apparatus for receivingand conveying dishes supported in dish racks along a directed path oftravel through a spray cabinet having nozzles for spraying water on thedishes from above and below the dish racks comprising a spray cabinethaving a dish rack-receiving opening means for supporting dish racksalong a path of travel introduced into said opening, dish rack advancingmeans for engaging dish racks at spaced intervals as they are subjectedto spraying water and advancing in a directed path of travel on saidrack supporting means, an endless reticulated conveyer belt having aplurality of spaced-apart lugs thereon mounted in said cabinet beneathsaid dish conveyer advancing means to receive refuse dislodged fromdishes supported in the dish racks, means for driving said conveyercomprising a pivotally depending drive shoe extending from said dishconveyer advancing means for engaging said conveyer lugs, andareceptacle for receiving refuse discharged on said conveyer belt mountedbeneath said conveyer.

3. In a dish washing machine and refuse disposal apparatus for receivingand conveying dishes supported in dish racks along a directed path oftravel through a spray cabinet having headers with spray nozzles tospray water above and below the dish racks comprising a spray cabinethaving at least front and side walls, said front wall having a dishrack-receiving opening and a refuse conveyer discharge opening, meansfor supporting dish racks introduced to the cabinet through said dishrack-receiving opening and advanced along a directed path of travel, apawl bar mounted for reciprocation between said dish racksupportingmeans, means for reciprocating said pawl bar, a plurality ofspaced-apart dish rack engaging pawls on said pawl bar, each of saidpawls extending vertically above said dish rack-supporting means toengage and forwardly advance a dish rack through the spray cabinet inone direction of pawl bar movement and ride under a dish rack in theopposite direction of pawl bar movement, an endless reticulated beltconveyer having top and bottom flights for receiving refuse from dishesin said dish racks mounted beneath said pawl bar, means associated withsaid pawl bar for displacing the belt conveyer in the direction of thedischarge opening.

4. In a dish washing machine and refuse disposal apparatus for receivingand conveying dishes supported in dish racks along a directed path oftravel through a spray cabinet having nozzles at spaced intervals tospray water on dishes from above and below the racks comprising a spraycabinet having front and side walls, said front wall having a dishrack-receiving opening, means for supporting dish racks introduced intothe cabinet through said front wall opening and advanced along adirected path of travel, a dish rack advancing means supported betweensaid dish rack-supporting means having; a plurality of spaced-apart dishrack engaging pawls thereon with each of said pawls extending verticallyabove said dish racksupporting means to engage and intermittentlyadvance a dish rack in only one direction of movement of said dish rackadvancing means through the spray cabinet, means for actuating said dishrack advancing means, an endless belt conveyer for receiving refuse fromdishes in said dish racks mounted beneath said dish rack advancingmeans, means for actuating the belt conveyer to move the refuse caughtthereon to a remote location, and a receptacle for receiving refusecaught on said conveyer belt mounted beneath the discharge end of theconveyer at said remote location.

5. In a dish washing machine and refuse disposal apparatus for receivingand conveying dish racks having dishes to be washed therein along a.directed path of travel through a spray cabinet comprising a spraycabinet having front and side walls, said front wall having a dishrack-receiving opening and a refuse conveyer discharge openingtherebelow, means for supporting dish racks introduccd to the cabinetthrough the rack-receiving opening for advancement along a directed pathof travel, a pawl bar mounted for reciprocation between said dish racksupporting means, a depending conveyer advancing means depending fromsaid pawl bar, means for reciprocating said pawl bar, a plurality ofspaced-apart dish rack-engaging pawls on said pawl bar, each of saidpawls extending above said dish rack-supporting means to engage andadvance a dish rack in only one direction of pawl bar movement throughthe spray cabinet and ride beneath a dish rack in the opposite directionof pawl bar movement, an endless conveyor for receiving refuse fromdishes in said dish racks mounted beneath said pawl bar, refusedeflector baffles for guiding refuse on to said conveyer mounted beneathsaid dish rack supporting means and above said conveyer, said conveyerhaving a plurality of spaced apart conveyer advancing members forengaging said conveyer advancing means whereby opposite movement of saidpawl bar displaces the conveyer rearwardly through conveyer advancingmeans engagement with a conveyer advancing member whereby refuse ispassed through the refuse conveyer opening, and a receptacle forreceiving refuse from said conveyer mounted directly beneath saiddischarge opening.

6. In a dish washing machine and refuse disposal apparatus for receivingand conveying dish racks having dishes to be washed therein along adirected path of travel through a cabinet having nozzles for directingwater on said dishes comprising a spray cabinet having a dishrack-receiving opening, means for supporting dish racks introduced intosaid opening for advancement along a directed path of travel, a pawl barmounted for reciprocation between said dish rack-supporting means, meansfor reciprocating said pawl bar, a plurality of spaced-apart dish rackengaging pawls on said pawl bar to engage and advance a dish rack in onedirection of pawl bar movement through the spray cabinet, an endlessconveyer for receiving refuse dislodged from dishes in said dish racksmounted beneath said dish rack supporting means, a receptacle forreceiving refuse discharged on said conveyer -belt mounted beneath thedischarged end of said conveyer, and means associated with said pawl barfor displacing said conveyer upon travel in a direction opposite to dishrack advancement.

7. In a dish washing machine and refuse disposal apparatus for receivingand conveying dishes along a directed path of travel through a spraycabinet having nozzles for spraying water on the dishes from above andbelow to remove food refuse therefrom comprising a spray cabinet havinga dish receiving opening, conveyer means for supporting dishesintroduced into said opening, dish conveyer advancing means forsupporting dishes as they are subjected to spraying water and advancingin a directed path of travel on said dish supporting means, a beltconveyer for receiving refuse from dishes mounted directly beneath thepath of travel of the dishes, means for displacing the belt conveyer tomove the refuse deposited thereon to a remote location, and a receptaclefor receiving refuse discharged on said belt conveyer mounted beneaththe discharged end of the conveyer at said remote location, said beltconveyer displacing means comprising a pivotally depending drive shoeextending from said dish conveyer advancing means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS CHARLES A.WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner. R. L. BLEUTGE, Assistant Examiner.

Paul 134-404 X

4. IN A DISH WASHING MACHINE AN REFUSE DISPOSAL APPARATUS FOR RECEIVINGAND CONVEYING DISHES SUPPORTED IN DISH RACKS ALONG A DIRECTED PATH OFTRAVEL THROUGH A SPRAY CABINET HAVING NOZZLES AT SPACED INTERVALS TOSPRAY WATER ON DISHES FROM ABOVE AND BELOW THE RACKS COMPRISING A SPRAYCABINET HAVING FROMT AND SIDE WALLS, SAID FRONT WALL HAVING A DISHRACK-RECEIVING OPENING, MEANS FOR SUPPORTING DISH RACKS INTRODUCED INTOTHE CABINET THROUGH SAID FRONT WALL OPENING AND ADVANCED ALONG ADIRECTED PATH OF TRAVEL, A DISH RACK ADVANCING MEANS SUPPORTED BETWEENSAID DISH RACK-SUPPORTING MEANS HAVING A PLURALITY OF SPACED-APART DISHRACK ENGAGING PAWLS THEREON WITH EACH OF SAID PAWLS EXTENDING VERTICALLYABOVE SAID DISH RACKSUPPORTING MEANS TO ENGAGE AND INTERMITTENTLYADVANCE A DISH RACK IN ONLY ONE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF SAID DISH RACKADVANCING MEANS THROUGH THE SPRAY CABINET, MEANS FOR ACTUATING SAID DISHRACK ADVANCING MEANS, AN ENDLESS BELT CONVEYER FOR RECEIVING REFUSE FROMDISHES IN SAID DISH RACKS MOUNTED BENEATH SAID DISH RACK ADVANCINGMEANS, MEANS FOR ACTUATING THE BELT CONVEYER TO MOVE THE REFUSE CAUGHTTHEREON TO A REMOTE LOCATION, AND A RECEPTACLE FOR RECEIVING REFUSECAUGHT ON SAID CONVEYER BELT MOUNTED BENEATH THE DISCHARGE END OF THECONVEYER AT SAID REMOTE LOCATION.